The Netherlands is expected to formally apologise for its role in 250 years of slavery but the planned move is threatening to cause a split, with some critics calling it “complete nonsense”.
The prime minister, Mark Rutte, will deliver a public message on 19 December that will aim to “do justice to the meaning and experience of past slavery”, according to a parliamentary briefing. It is widely anticipated that this will be an apology for the 250 years in which the Dutch funded
